Published 06:08 IST, December 14th 2020
Astronomers discover unique 'cosmic superhighways' through Jupiter to Neptune
Known as the "celestial autobahn" or celestial highway, the routes extend through Jupiter to Neptune and can help astronauts travel the shortest distances.
In a rare discovery, the researchers detected a new superhighway network of comets and asteroids in space to travel across the Solar System in less than a century. Known as the "celestial autobahn" or celestial highway, the routes extend through Jupiter to Neptune’s distance and can help the astronauts travel in the universe via the shortest distance on the spacecraft.
According to a report published in Science Advances, scientists studied the dynamical structure of these cosmic space highways using a tool called the fast Lyapunov indicator (FLI) capable of detecting both stable and unstable manifolds in the Solar System.
According to the researchers, the cosmic superhighway is linked to Jupiter and has been found to have the maximum influential gravitational pull in the Solar System. Scientists described that this mutual intersection of the manifolds in space plays a crucial role in chaotic transportation in the universe amid the artificial celestial bodies.
While NASA has been using the manifolds routes to propel spacecraft in space, the "unexpected ornamental structure" that has been lately discovered would enable spacecraft to navigate at a faster speed and reach Uranus and Neptune in almost 38 or 46 years on average.
[Short-term FLI maps of the region between the outer edge of the main asteroid belt at 3 AU. Credit: Science Advances]
[A highly resolved, 1500 × 1500 point, Jovian-minimum-distance map concentrated near the largest V-shaped chaotic structure. Credit: Science Advances]
[The location of Oterma for each epoch is marked with a red star, showing that it lies on the encounter manifolds. Credit: Science Advances]
Voyager 1,2 being cardinal examples
"It should come as no surprise that Jupiter can induce large-scale transport on decadal time scales, as space missions have been specifically designed for Jupiter-assisted transport, with the flybys of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 being cardinal examples," the lead researchers said.
"The widespread influence on natural celestial bodies has been largely undervalued and unexplored. More research can provide deeper insight into transport across the solar system,” the researchers added. According to scientists more theory, and simulation will improve understanding of the two belts of minor bodies and the terrestrial planet region, and Jupiter can induce large-scale transport on decadal time scales.
(Image Credit: Twitter/@sootsolh)
Updated 06:08 IST, December 14th 2020